In keeping with the Department of Tourism’s logo, shopping is more fun in the Philippines. It’s here where you can find an original and in good condition Victoria’s Secret bikinis for less than a dollar, or The North Face shirt for a dollar and a quarter. Of course, you don’t …
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Simply because it’s the height of tropical cyclone season doesn’t mean you can’t hit the beach for a well-deserved break from the monsoons. Even better, this time of the year is off-season, so you are likely to get cheaper lodging, better service, and fewer crowds. If you are truly lucky, …
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There is a compelling reason why Sibuyan Island should be on the radar of every eco-traveler: It is one of the rare islands in the Philippines where primary growth forest can still be seen fringing the coast. Population pressures and clearing of the land for agriculture use have markedly reduced …
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If there’s one thing that has become very rare in the Philippines, it is its rainforests. Rarer still is primary growth forest fringing a coastline, which have all been cleared in the past to give way to human habitation and agriculture. This sorry state of environmental affairs in the Philippines …
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In a separate post, we named Siquijor as one of the top 10 beach destinations in the Philippines. While Salagdoong Beach in the town of Maria is a strong contender, it is not as long as the beaches in the town of San Juan. The latter is not only significant …
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“Laci” is synonymous to heritage. Inferring from the sheer size of its convent to the remarkable interior architecture of its church, I could tell that this place must have been one hotbed of religious activity. As it turned out, the Lazi convent was the retreat center, in the late 19th …
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Baguio City is known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Its location high up in the mountain regions of the Cordilleras gives it a much cooler climate that the surrounding lowlands, making it a favorite destination of many Filipinos to escape the sweltering heat. Most of Baguio’s visitors know …
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Maria is a common Spanish name, and it is also a name of a town in Siquijor, a province deeply devout in the Catholic faith. Maria, the town, is famous for a delectable beach and (eerie) Catholic (night-walking) image of Santa Rita. To get to Maria, you can take a …
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Preserving a place for the benefit of both man and animal, local and visitor, is a nascent concept in the Philippines. Conservation efforts have only seen a lot of action in the late part of the 1990s and early 2000s, and even then, it was slow going. The process that …
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Maps have their own value. But when road-tested, they really are just a piece of paper. The easiest way to get lost in a new territory is to plunge ahead without knowing which end is north. But to a (independent) traveler, this is a goldmine of opportunity to interact with …
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Why is it that some of the most beautiful on earth are also among the most dangerous? The perfect-coned Mayon Volcano in the Bicol Region of northern Philippines is one fine example, having recently caught unawares mountaineers on the way to its summit. There was no warning (from PHIVOLCS) that …
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Philippine beaches get more than their fair share of media attention worldwide, and rightly so. But this is not even scratching beneath the surface. If the Philippine beaches blow you away, wait until you get underwater to get the full measure of the beauty and bounty of the country. The …
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